Simple question, what's the difference, there's a guy down the street from me with a XF, they look pretty similar!

 

The XJ is the luxobarge the XF is the medium/large sedan.
XJ is huge, XF is largish.
XJ is more luxurious and more "traditional" Jag than the later XF (X260) while the earlier XF (X250) is more like the XJ.
XJ costs a lot more than XF.
XJ is rarer and more exclusive than XF.
XJ comes in long wheelbase version (LWB) while XF does not (except in China).
XJ does not have a station wagon / estate version while XF does (called Sportbrake).
XJ comes with V8 or V6 while current XF comes with V6 or I4.

 

XJ is all-aluminium, the first iteration XF is all-steel, the second (current) XF is mostly aluminium, (doors and a couple of other panels are steel). XJ has air suspension on the rear wheels, all XFs use coils.

 

The XF is nothing like an XJ, but for some it's close enough.

 

Just look at the taillights. It will tell you. The front can be misleading.

 

Indeed, I might have stayed with the XJ series except they kept getting bigger and bigger until they barely would fit in my home garage anymore. Even the XF is much w i d e r than the old XJ8, but the spaces in the parking garage at work are still the same width they were when the building was constructed, right after the first OPEC oil crisis and everyone commuting to downtown was driving economy cars. Right now I don't have to park next to anyone, but pre-COVID, the parking management would have one of those mobile paintless dent repair people in twice a year because it was so bad. If you want to see all the details of what's different between the models, here's a link to a site that has the brochures scanned online

https://www.auto-brochures.com/index.html

 

Well, I test drove the 2016 XF and 2015 XJ back to back at the dealership.

My impression is that the XF is the better driver's car - there's just something about the way it gets down the road, smooth and oiled. The ride on the 18" wheels was really nice. But it's not as quiet as the XJ. The V6 with AWD in the lighter car really pulls, and is tuned for a great sound.

The XJ is a lot more car, and the interior is in a whole other league. Very quiet, but there's always the annoying patter from the road surface, especially with the 20" wheels.

Suggest driving both before deciding.

 

Putting the XF & XJ side by side, anyone can tell which looks more elegant than the 2, the XJ will win hands down. OK, I will wave the white flag on my XF to it's bigger brother the XJ, but I personally prefer the looks of my XF compared to the other car brands it it's class. IMHO, the styling of all of the current Jaguar model lineups are a masterpiece (from the inside & out). Quite frankly, it was the F-Pace that lured me to Jaguars when I saw it the very first time 3 years ago.

 

My only substantial experience with both cars you're asking about is with my wife's 2016 XJL Portfolio AWD and a friend's 2015 XF-RS so when I say XJ and XF, I'll be referring specifically to those two individual cars. I have driven a V6 SWB XJ as well as a V6 XF but both were short test drives at dealerships years ago, so I'm not taking those into account. I've also put 40k on my XKR and personally feel that it's the best out of all three if you don't need a usable back seat, but you're not asking that so I'll leave that out as well.

The XJ chassis is far stiffer and much more quiet in terms of flex and vibration than the XF. While there is more body roll in the XJ, it is a far cry from being a wallowing luxobarge, and it is far, far, far more composed over uneven surfaces and far less thrown off the line by bumps mid turn. My wife's car is the heaviest and slowest gasoline X351 variant and it'll easily hang with the XF-RS through the turns at any questionably sane speed you'll drive on the public roads. Straights and brakes are a completely different story, but that goes without saying. The stiffer suspension of the XF-RS transmits a lot to the chassis and being an older steel platform, there's quite a bit more flex than in the XJ. I personally feel that the suspension of the -RS is on the verge of being too stiff for that chassis, but I digress. On a smooth surface like a track, the XF-RS would absolutely an edge over the XJ in terms of sheer lateral acceleration. In other words, in real world conditions, the chassis of the XJ lets its suspension do its job better than the XF. Off the top of my head, there isn't much of a weight difference between the two cars and all things considered, I'd imagine that a SWB XJ Supersport or XJR would be better than an XFR and possibly the XF-RS in terms of handling and overall driving experience.

Everything on the cosmetic side of things is pure personal opinion; I have my preference and I'm sure you would too, after sitting in both side by side. I wouldn't shy away from a very good deal on an XF if I were in the market for a winter beater. But for something you'd want to drive every day, and for something with an interior that doesn't feel like it's been engineered down to a price point, the XJ just blows the XF out of the water.

 

Excellent feedback, thanks all.

 

Minor correction, the first gen XF (X250) is not all steel it has an aluminium bonnet/hood.
Also like pretty much all modern cars including the XJ the front and rear bumpers/panels are ABS plastic.

 

Yes, sadly. For that inconsequential little bit of weight savings I have to keep repainting my hood over and over and over again. My painter explained that aluminum cars are far more susceptible to stone chips. Last time I was going get one of those clear bra things put on, but he told me to wait three months for the paint to fully cure before applying. Before the three months was up, it already had five chips so I said to heck with it and I'm just trying now not to be so obsessive-compulsive. I note in parking lots that it seems a lot of cars now must have aluminum hoods because they're all moon-scaped. This is my first aluminum-hooded car and I've never experienced such a rapid accumulation of stone chips on any car previous. Give me a good old steel hood. Gasoline is much cheaper than paint.

 

I know, but the hood has no bearing on chassis dynamics.

 

It's up to you and the best advice so far is to drive both back to back and see what you think?

I was shopping for either an XFR or when they finally came out an XJR. Driving both to me was very satisfactory but they are different cars for sure.
I lost a deal on a Kyanite blue XFR and ended up with an Italian Racing red XJR.
My prior car was a 2005 S-Type R.
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My comments applied to the 2016 XF, which is also all-aluminum and is a very much improved car over the 2015.

 

2015 has the far better interior. Like the XJ, there's alacantra and leather everywhere. In 2016 the plastic is back. Unless I just sat in a (2019) XF base model or something,